Health

May 15, 2013

If you were asked to evacuate your home because of a fire... what would you take with you?

{View of smoke clouds from our driveway.}

{View as we drove down our road.}

That's the very question so many locals had to ask themselves this beautiful, clear and sunny evening as they were asked to evacuate their homes in the path of a raging fire stretching approximately 10 miles long and covering (at last estimate) between 4000-5000 acres out here in north/central Minnesota. (I'll be interested to see if that's acurate once more official reports are out...)

Many of our neighbors received this very call. {We didn't get a call but only because we don't have/use a land line and only use our cell phones.} We didn't evacuate and the last we heard on the radio, we no longer needed to if we were south of a particular line, which we are. But it really made us stop and think. And it's a good reminder to be ready in case of any emergency, which we realized we weren't... And it also made me realize how little material things mattered. That's not to say that I wouldn't be beside myself and have plenty of panic attacks if we were to lose everything (because just the thought of it this evening gave me plenty of anxiety and fear) - but it just really made me think how little 'things' matter when compared to human life.

And, if you're wondering, we decided we would grab all of our boxes of photos, our laptop and PC (which both have photos on them) and our folder of important documents (social security cards, etc.). And then any other little things that we had time for but our photos are irreplaceable. Everything else can be replaced.

{Smoke plumes as we headed toward town.}

{Smoke over our little town. Excuse the windshield in all these photos - I was just snapping photos as Mark was driving.}

The combination of extremely gusty winds and super dry weather were the perfect recipe for disaster as the wildfire raged out of control for hours, and continues to burn. Thankfully, the wind has greatly diminished at this point (well after midnight) and the fire isn't spreading as quickly as it had been. We're hoping and praying it continues to stay that way. And our prayers are also going out to all of our fire fighters, police officers, emergency personnel, and the numerous volunteers who are working around the clock to do everything they can to be sure that everyone is safe. Our prayers are also with all of those who have been devastated by the loss of their homes, of which we've heard there have been quite a few at this point, and with all of those who are affected by the fire.

As of right now, there have been no reports of injuries. Hoping and praying that stays that way as well! I'm anxious for some more up-to-date reports on the acreage and homes lost... (And hoping it doesn't continue to increase...) And I'm anxious to hear how it started as there have only been speculations going about.

{My camera isn't capable of zooming in enough to get a good picture. These flames were about a mile north of where I was standing - but you get the idea here... This shows the fire leaping high above the tree tops (the dark line just at the top of the field here). This is the furthest east point of the fire, at the time of the photos. These flames are out near the Twin Lakes/Stocking Lake area. They were taken from Stocking Lake Rd.}

{You can just make out the pine trees if you look closely - that's the darker area across the middle of the photo(s) - and the flames are high above the trees where you can see them.}

Mark and I ran out at supper time to check out the fire after seeing it mentioned on Facebook and seeing large smoke clouds northeast of us. As we drove through town, they were evacuating the nursing home residents via local school buses. There were emergency vehicles going in every direction. Sirens, lights flashing and traffic like you wouldn't believe from people evacuating and the curious, like ourselves.

There are no words to describe what it was like to drive out there and see flames stretching and leaping in a path about a mile long, about a mile/mile and a half north of the field we stopped at, which was only about six miles or so from our home. It took my breath away to see it. Unreal. I'd never seen anything like it before. (Although, I'd seen woods on fire once before in my life on a road trip.) It was beyond devastating to see.

We sat there for awhile watching in complete awe and dismay. After a
time, we decided to go home to get the kids so they could see and ended
up back out for another two or three hours, at which point things began
to look like they were dying down or at least look like they were
slowing down. And we got word that we could sleep safely (for the most part) tonight so we went back home.

{These photos (above) were taken while the sun was still bright and shining in the sky - just like the first photos you see here. The smoke coverage was unreal - it looked like a cloudy day near the fire. That area that is really bright, above, we believe was a building on fire. It was the only part of this area that was still burning really bright when we came back an hour later with the kids... I get a ball in the pit of my stomach from being there and seeing all of this, and again looking at these photos. It's absolutely awful...}

Thinking of all of our friends/family who have homes closer to the fire than ours. Praying you (and we) are all kept safe!

P.S. I've been meaning to start blogging about my diagnosis, because I finally got one a while back. I'm dealing with Mycoplasma and Lyme Disease, both tick born infections. I still plan to because I want to keep record of it for myself. I've been really sick these past four months but I just recently began to feel better.

March 14, 2013

{Daily read-aloud to me with a vintage Dick & Jane book. (I was sitting in the chair.) I love coming across them at garage sales and thrifts for this purpose!}

My skin flared up something crazy again this weekend. This time after I had coffee (and possibly the salsa and the red pepper hummus I ate, as well). But I know I flared up after having coffee other times in these past three months because I've only had it about three times during that time and every time I got worse. Yet, on Sunday afternoon while Mark as enjoying his usual Thermos of coffee, I just thought it looked so good and drank two cups. And it was! But my body didn't agree for some reason.

This thing is quite bizarre in that I've been noticing that certain things I eat are causing it to flare up. And it's not just one thing like I was suspecting in the beginning.

I started using antihistamines a few weeks ago and I've needed them nearly every day since - except last week my skin finally began to clear up and was the best it's been in weeks and weeks and I was able to go a few days without them - until I had that coffee/salsa/hummus (?). I'm sure more than anything that it's food-related but 'why' and 'what' are still the questions.

I was tested for fungal and candida infections and I have neither of those. A rash can be a sign of each of those and several people have mentioned them to me so I made sure to ask when I was in. Speaking of, I just want to say thank you again to everyone who has taken the time to message me with suggestions and their own experiences. It really means a lot to me! And I feel like one way or another, it will lead to a resolution of all this - because each of you who offers suggestions/experiences gets me thinking about different things that may be the issue here or even may not be (like candida and fungal infections). It also helps knowing I'm not alone because I do sometimes get all that emotional stuff from feeling so itchy or uncomfortable on the days when it flares up bad. But I'm still optimistic that we'll figure this out eventually! Nothing lasts forever, right?

Because it flared up again this weekend, Mark and I did a lot of discussing and reflecting and I am now taking the heavy-dose steroids for relief. Albeit temporary as this thing seems to come and go... but I'll enjoy it while I'm getting it! Today is Day 2 of a 5 Day dose of heavier steroids and it's already dramatically different - inflammation is way down and it's barely itchy at all! Never mind that I was acting all crazy emotional/crabby today right along with my baby who is getting them with me (because I'm nursing). She goes from a happy baby to a monster baby, on steroids. (; But at least we get more snuggle time that way (she is normally not a snuggler, this one).

I wouldn't bat an eye about taking them at this point if it weren't for that... I'm not happy that she's getting such a strong dose of them with me. But our doctor (chiro) reassured me that short-term like this is okay. So, that made me feel a little better about doing it. (I know some will get it and some won't - but I don't even take acetaminophen ever, whether I'm nursing or not. --Although, since cutting out sugar and most grains/wheat and dairy and processed foods, I don't get headaches like I used to. I used to get them all the time.)

This whole hives thing really makes me realize how important it is for me to keep working on getting healthy. I have a long way to go but I'm not giving up! I wasn't working out in the past two months because of discomfort but when things calmed down the first time, nearly three weeks ago now, I started working out every day again (taking Sundays off to rest my muscles) for 30 minutes doing cardio (with some stretching and yoga, too).

I didn't work out at all last year. And in December I worked out the entire month and it felt so good to get back at it, both physically and mentally. (And then I started getting these hives so I hit a little road block for a bit.) I need to work out for my mental health just as much as the physical. It's just making it a habit that I always struggle with.

I'm not a fit person by nature (but, by golly, I'm going to get there!) and I have never exercised consistently my entire life until recent years and I would love to lose (more than) a few pounds but weight loss itself has never been my main goal. It just doesn't motivate me even though I would love to be back in my pre-pregnancy jeans from when I lost the weight just before I got pregnant this time around.

My goal is to feel healthy. That's what keeps me going and what motivates me to exercise. And feeling the difference in my endurance from barely being able to do a rep of jumping jacks in the beginning of December to being able to do them the entire time with the trainer on the video I'm following is a reminder that something is happening even if I don't feel it in my jeans yet. So, that's what keeps me going right now.

Working out is hard. But I've discovered that it's also something I enjoy doing. Mark's so good about giving me tough-love when I start to feel like giving up (because as I said above, it's not natural for me and I am the pro at making excuses not to do it!). He knows how much I want this - and reminds me that I can do it and I can't use excuses like there's no time in the day because I home school or want to work on my shop. (Because working on my shop is way more fun than exercising once school is done for the day!) If I want to be healthy, I need to fight for it.

Now, after a few weeks, it's beginning to feel nearly routine again. I actually look forward to it. I did a workout video (on YouTube) that had kick-boxing recently - a first for me. So many of my friends have done kick-boxing over the years but I'd never done it before. I got a lot of suggestions on Facebook recently from friends, too - and I'm looking forward to trying different things to keep a variety going. If you have a favorite workout suggestion, I'd love to hear from you, too!

March 12, 2013

At 10 1/2 months old, about a week or two ago, Aria learned how to pull herself standing. These were taken a few days ago, the first time I'd ever seen her do it, but the kids told me she had done it before! (And no one told me!) She still hasn't figured out how to get down once she does it so after she tires of feeling like the big stuff, she usually starts hollering and someone runs to help her. She also learned how to put herself sitting up on her own about the same time. She just sort of scootches backward/upright from laying on the floor.

She recently started pulling her knees up under her in a crawling stance, as well. She hasn't moved too much doing that yet, though. She's still doing the inch worm type crawl she graduated from the army crawl to.

I think she may have figured out the standing thing a little sooner, as well as the crawling stance, if it weren't for our wood floors. She has slid anytime she's attempted it in the past but I think she's finally figuring out how to get a grip - yet her knees still slide out from under her when she tries to crawl!

I have no idea what ages my other kids were when they reached their milestones. (Although, I have it all written down somewhere.) I've a terrible memory for those types of things but I know Carter was my latest walker - sometime around 13 or 14 months old. I kind of feel like Aria will be the same. She's in no hurry to do anything - which is fine by me! I want this baby phase to go as slowly as possible because I'm treasuring every moment after all these years and I know full well how fast they grow.

{She has her mittens on because we had just gotten home from thrifting - and it was a 'warm' winter day so she's wearing a more lightweight sweatshirt with them. Mittens from Fawn Vintage on Etsy. Sweatshirt, thrifted.}

Random Miscellaneous Mind:

I have a virus on my laptop (that I'm using right now to type this) so Mark's planning to drop it off to get looked at on his way to work. Hoping it's an easy fix and it'll be good as new by Tuesday or Wednesday because I have new things to list in the shop (and won't be able to with this gone since all of the photos are on here)!

I made an appointment with a chiropractor, who comes highly recommended, for my hives issue going on. He does a lot of testing for things like this so I'm hoping we can figure out how to get rid of it (without the use of all sorts of strong drugs) - but I couldn't get in until July(!!!).

I started working out again a couple of weeks ago after not working out for two months because of this rash/hives. It has felt so awesome to get back at it! And even though I flared up again this weekend, I've kept at it these past few days. I'm determined to get healthy and fit. It's been a battle for years but I haven't given up since I really started changing things a couple of years ago. I may get sidetracked here and there... But I haven't given up.

I'm hoping to get an area rug in the living room some day but it's not on my list of priorities at the moment. (Kind of wish I'd had one all this time for Aria.)

I can't remember if I've mentioned it on here or not, I feel like I'm always repeating myself because I forgot what I write all the time - but I'm saving for a DSLR. I'm really excited to finally be working towards one instead of just dreaming of one after all these years! I've been wanting one for about five or six years!

March 04, 2013

I got the test results from the blood work I had done last week on Friday afternoon to a mixture of relief and disappointment. They all came back negative. So we're back to square one, with no answers yet.

I was told that I'm not allergic to eggs, hay, straw, and chickens (the latter three, they tested for in spite of the fact that I told them I never spend time in the coop or gathering eggs (the kids are in charge of that) but they knew I had chickens so tested anyway). Also told I'm not allergic to nuts, including almonds, peanuts, walnuts and coconuts.

The house dust came back positive but I already knew that one! I get all sick and miserable when house dust starts flying and have my whole life. And that's not the issue since that normally just causes a super itchy, runny nose and sneezing with itchy watery eyes. My hands get a little itchy and sometimes a little red from it, too, but it stops as soon as I wash them. {Which would make one wonder why I wasn't better about keeping my house dusted!}

So... Where to go from here...?

Allergist, Dermatologist, and Naturopath appointments are all in my future. Two of which I have yet to make but plan to soon. (I was going to make them last week but wanted to wait for the blood work.)

I was reminded, when I shared the news on Facebook on Friday, that blood work isn't always accurate in testing for allergies, not to mention the fact that I'd taken that generic form of Benadryl (an antihistamine) five hours prior to the blood work. And, of course, there is still a long list of foods that we can continue to test for, as well as, chemicals and environmental stuff.

It's all a bit overwhelming and that's where an allergist might come in handy. I'm not able to get into the Dermatologist until the end of the month, as I mentioned in my last post, but one of my friends recommended one that I may be able to see sooner. So I plan to look into that, too.

I can't see waiting another month with this discomfort... It flared up again on my neck, hands, and forearms Friday night in spite of the generic Claritin. It never reached that unbearable point but it was inflamed and pretty uncomfortable that night. Thankfully it felt better by Saturday afternoon - just a little uncomfortable but it was no longer inflamed (at the time). I'm just so reluctant to take the super powerful steroids I was prescribed last week because I'm nursing. (And Mark also feels I should stop nursing if I decide to take them.) I'm putting it off as long as I can in the hopes of avoiding them - but it helps to know they're there. (Albeit only a temporary fix.)

From what I can tell, so far, I may have to alternate every couple of days between types of antihistamines because they seem to lose their efficacy every three days as my body gets used to them. Although, in continuation of the oddity of it all, I was able to go most of the weekend without them. I only took one generic Benadryl each night (a relatively small dose) and it helped because it was only slightly uncomfortable at the time of taking it and I didn't need anymore during the day.

I get that guilty feeling when I start feeling too emotional about it or too overwhelmed because so many people around me are dealing with far worse. (And, I've been more emotional and overwhelmed, at times, than I've even let on here...) It's a complicated thing, these emotions and feelings. I just keep praying we'll have answers soon. The unknown in any situation can feel more difficult than when you actually have answers and know what you're dealing with... Answers can be overwhelming, too, but in so many cases I keep reminding myself, they're not. And it helps you to know how to progress. What to do from here. And how to treat something.

I feel frustrated because I don't know if I should stop eating something, avoid something I'm using, or if it's something completely out of my hands (like something environmental). It could be anything right now! But Mark reminds me it can't last forever. {Three months only feels like forever...}

{On Aria: Polka dot elephant romper from Target. {No longer available. I just checked.} A rare 'unthrifted' outfit. One
of her Christmas gifts from Mark and me. I couldn't pass it up because
of the colors (I love the neon pink stripes contrasting with the blue
and white polka dots!) and the fact it had an elephant on it. Teething necklace from Amberizon. Moccasins from Kaboogie. I'm planning to share my thoughts on teething necklaces one of these days and why I now recommend them.}

February 27, 2013

Sometime in early December, I got a small spot on my left hand that seemed like eczema. Just a tiny patch near my wedding ring finger. I didn't think much of it at first but gradually over the coming weeks, it began to spread on my hand. I still just thought that my hand was dry from the winter and it was eczema.

Then, sometime after the New Year, it had spread to my other hand - eventually it began to itch and I had a hives like rash on both hands, hives and round patches the size of quarters going up my forearms, and hives-like dots across my stomach. Soon it spread to my entire neck, chest, around my nose, ears and somewhat on my scalp. It got to the point where I couldn't hold or nurse Aria comfortably or have my shirt sleeves cover it because it was so itchy and uncomfortable. And I didn't leave the house very much. (Probably contributing to the winter blues I mentioned in a previous post, that so many people deal with this time of year.) I didn't make it to church since Christmas time until this past Sunday! It was a beautiful sunny morning, too. (: (Our church in my Michigan hometown and our Michigan U.P. congregation both have call-in numbers. So I was able to call in to my hometown to listen to services, which was nice.)

About a month ago, I had to stop wearing my wedding ring. And it became pretty much unbearable. I have never.in.my.life been that itchy. I was severely allergic to poison ivy as a child and this was much like that - only it seemed worse. There was no relief for it. It would itch and then burn.

The odd part about it is that it would come and go. When I say 'go', I just mean it would somewhat get better, never really going away completely. It would just be bearable and only a little itchy at times. So, good days and bad days...

About the time I took off my wedding ring, I decided to go to the walk-in clinic (the nearest one to us is about 40 miles away). My Chiro. recommended it when I was so-out-of-control itchy upon my visit that day, and he was just as baffled as I was about it all. I literally couldn't sit still the entire visit! My hands were horrendously itchy. I'm still convinced that I'll have scars on them for the rest of my life. But I'm sure as with anything, they'll fade with time.

At that appointment, I was given a prescription for an antibiotic and given a hydrocortizone cream and told to come back if it didn't help. The doctor was baffled, too, and said she would send me to Dermatology if the antibiotic didn't work. The hydrocortizone has done nothing for it. The antibiotic seemed to help clear it up at first, but halfway through the ten day dose, it suddenly flared up again.

It was bizarre.

So I made another appointment. This time at my regular medical clinic, about 23 miles away, hoping to see our family practitioner. She wasn't available on short notice so I saw another doctor. He prescribed Prednisone to make me comfortable (because I was nearing that unbearable point again) and gave me a referral to a Dermatologist (about 50 miles away - see a pattern here? We live *way* out in the country). I made an appointment but am not able to get in for about a month.

A few days ago, I started thinking it might be an egg allergy. I started eating them again in December after not eating them for many months - and I have been eating them nearly every day or every other day because I suddenly loved eggs after not liking them all my life. So, thinking it may be eggs, I stopped eating them on Sunday, after flaring up in spite of being on the Prednisone and taking an antihistamine that day. Monday, I felt great! Barely any itchiness and I felt so good, I even went out for a power walk just as I had on Saturday since I had been feeling good then, too. It felt awesome to get outside and enjoy the winter sun and fresh air!

Then Tuesday, Mark and the kids cooked eggs and bacon for supper and I helped feed it to Aria and washed her up (getting egg all over my hands while doing so). And I nursed her not long afterward. That evening, I started getting itchy again. And I woke up during the night from the itchiness and again early this morning and couldn't go back to sleep so I finally took some more antihistamine, in spite of going two days without it.

I'm not saying it's from the eggs - I have no idea at this point... I do know, however, from all of the reading and research I've done on Carter's peanut allergy that if you're highly allergic to any food/substance, you can react simply from touching it - as is the case with his allergy. But, ultimately, I'm not ruling anything out at this point and I can't confirm anything either. I'm just trying to find answers.

That brings us to today. I'm about halfway through the Prednisone. It got really bad this morning, in spite of the meds., and I was grateful that I just so happened to make another appointment the other day at my clinic to get blood work done today (because I was suspecting the egg at the time). I would have been calling to beg for an appointment if I hadn't had one already.

When I went in, I was told that you have to be off the antihistamine and Prednisone for about two weeks prior to getting blood work done to test for an allergy. I broke down in tears right then and then. (Didn't see that coming - talk about embarrassing.) I had been emotional all morning, prior to my appointment because of the itching. So the PA for my doctor (since my doctor wasn't available this time either) decided to give me a stronger dose of steroid pills and a powerful steroid cream - stating to take this stronger steroid for about a week and then to use the cream after that and if I could go at least 4 to 5 days without the pills or antihistamine they could do the tests. (But I could still use the cream.)

I left feeling a little better but still anxious. I didn't want to take stronger drugs because I'm nursing. And Mark wasn't thrilled about it either. And, at ten months old, I'm not ready to quit nursing. I love nursing. I've already been having a hard time taking all of the stuff I'm taking right now because of nursing but I'm feeling a little like a desperate woman at this point. I just want relief. (As an aside, many people comfortably take these meds. while nursing. I'm just really cautious.)

About twenty minutes after I left the doctor's office, I got a call from the PA. She asked me when I'd last taken an antihistamine and if I could come in now for blood work. (I had taken some 5 hours prior to our conversation.) She said they like to have someone off of them for 24 hours but to come in and do the blood work anyway since I was still in town and most of it would have worn off by then. I'm hoping the fact that I didn't take any the past two days will help give more accurate results, as well.

My gut is telling me it's a food allergy, but, really, I have no idea... (They can happen to anyone at any time
in your life.) Absolutely no clue. They're going to test for a multitude of allergens. I'll have the results within a
few days. At this point, I'm hoping and praying for answers! We can't begin to properly fix or treat this without answers. And I'm also feeling anxious that I won't get them because then we're back at square one and we'll have to start looking at other things. (And, there is always the possibility that we won't find any answers no matter what we do...)

I never thought I'd be excited about a food allergy but the idea of being allergic to a food, and knowing what that food is, is making me have high hopes. I would be absolutely thrilled (until it all sank in, I'm sure). Carter has so badly wanted someone in our family to be allergic to peanuts. And if his own mom could relate to his food allergy in the way that he has it, I would look at the bright side and consider it a gift in its own way. You can get used to not eating certain foods and watching what you're eating. That would be the least of my worries. And I know it would help him feel less alone in it all.

I have racked my brain over and over and over, in the past two months, trying to come up with anything new that I might have done or used in the month of December. All to no avail.

I can't think of a single thing.

All of our cleaning and laundry products, toiletries, foods, etc. are the things we've been using for a long time. I'm sure the dry winter air is probably exacerbating the issue but it's not the cause of it so hopefully we'll find something soon. My fingers are way crossed and my hopes are high.

January 23, 2013

I started eating grain-free after Aria was born in an attempt to get healthy and to lose weight. Since then, we've been eating meats, fruits, vegetables, goat milk (from our goats), homemade yogurt/viili made with our goats' milk, nuts and seeds, and healthy fats (organic olive oil, organic coconut oil, as well as, ghee and organic, pasture fed butter). We've basically simplified the way we're eating and cut out (most) sugars, grains (wheat, corn, etc...) and starches (potatoes, with the exception of sweet potatoes). If you're familiar with the Paleo way of eating, we've essentially been doing that. Although, I would never consider myself a purist when it comes to eating that way as we occasionally eat some processed foods (Have you ever had Justin's Chocolate Hazelnut butter? I don't think I can live without eating it!) and we enjoy eating out once in awhile.

The one thing I've missed the most in all these months isn't, surprisingly, wheat flour, it's baking in general. But since the holidays, I decided to start seeking out new recipes for healthy treats and snacks around here. We plow through the fruits and sometimes... vegetables... but sometimes it's nice to have healthy homemade treats so I'm making it my mission to find a whole slew of new recipes to add to our arsenal of baked goods this year since we no longer make many of the things we used to love.

I got this recipe from my sister, who in turn received it from a friend. And, as with just about every single recipe I get my hands on, I played around with it and tweaked it. I like recipes as guidelines. I love altering them and having fun making them a little different from their original context.

(The
original didn't call for toasting the nuts. Raw would essentially reap
more health benefits, so if you prefer it that way, just keep them raw.)

Everyone loved these, except one of my boys who likes some nuts but wasn't crazy about the larger pieces of walnuts... I think if I had chopped them even smaller, he would have eaten them just fine.

Place the nuts (I used walnuts and pecans here) on a sheet cake pan and bake at 400° for about 15-20 minutes to lightly toast them. They are done when you start to smell that warm, freshly baked nut smell. Once toasted, set aside to cool.

Next, place your flaxseeds and pepitas (if using them) on the pan and bake for about 5 minutes to lightly toast them. Set them aside to cool.

Roughly chop the slightly cooled nuts with a sharp knife. No rocket science here, you just want big pieces but you also want them slightly broken up.

In a large bowl, add the chopped nuts, seeds, and whichever add-ins you choose. (I used raisins and pepitas here.)

Meanwhile, in a small saucepan over low heat, melt the coconut oil together with the almond butter and raw honey. Once melted, remove from heat and add in the vanilla and mix well. Pour the almond butter mixture over the nut mixture, mix well, and spread in a 9x13 pan. (I like to use parchment paper to line mine for easy clean-up.)

Refrigerate until firm and store them in the refrigerator.

*Pepitas, for those who may be unfamiliar with them, are the green insides of pumpkin seeds; shelled pumpkin seeds.